The Bay Trust

Over six Saturdays this winter, artists of all levels gathered in our eco-build space, the Pines Calyx, to study our beautiful landscapes through watercolour painting.

And now those paintings are on display at The Pines Cafe.

Catch them until May. Open Weds- Sun 10am - 3pm.

Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective to see the magic in a familiar place.
Inviting Kent’s creative practitioners into The Pines Garden last week reminded us just how extraordinary this space truly is. We’re deeply grateful to be caretakers of this beautiful, living space 🌳

The garden team’s at it again. 🌱🥕

This week, they’ve got a packet of bean seeds and trays of onion seedlings ready to go - no fuss, no fanfare. Just good, solid work.

Growing food, growing skills, growing a garden that works with the land - not against it.

March is here, and so are the early signs of Spring. At The Pines Garden, we watch the seasons closely - paying attention to what's going on around us so that we can plant and grow with the natural rhythms of the garden.

📍 The Pines Garden and Cafe: Open Wednesday - Sunday, 10m - 3pm

Good News for Dover District Creatives & Changemakers! 🌿

We’ve extended the 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 to include everyone in the Dover District Council area - and the 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝟑𝟏 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔! Find out more and apply 👉️ baytrust.org.uk/pines-commun...

What a joy to welcome 25 incredible creative practitioners from across Kent to The Pines Calyx for Creative Practitioners Day yesterday! 🌞
Thank you for the vibrant conversations, fresh ideas, and shared energy. It was a true pleasure to meet you all. 🌿

📷 Nicki Setterfield & Dan Thompson

Did you know? Bees and butterflies emerge early - often before most flowers bloom. 🐝

That’s why early bloomers like snowdrops, crocuses, and winter aconites are vital. They’re not just pretty - they’re lifelines to our most important pollinators.

Here comes a mini-meadow! 🌱🌼🌺
We've had so much fun with wildflower mini-meadows at Pines Garden in past years. With very little effort - just some time - a patch of brown can turn into a thriving, scented, floral haven for pollinators - happy bees, & small mammals - and a feast for our eyes!

🌸 Join us for Mother's Day in the Pines Garden Café, where we’ve crafted a lovely three-course menu for the whole family - plus, a complimentary glass of Bucks Fizz for Mum 🥂 - she deserves it!

📅 Sunday 15 March
⏰ Seating at 12:00 or 14:30 (2-hour tables)
📞 Book your table: 01304 853173

🎨 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 - 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲!
RSVP by tomorrow (18th Feb) to join us at Pines Calyx for coffee, connection & a tour of the stunning Pines Gardens. We want to meet creatives who could respond to our unique setting.
📍 𝗦𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝘆 | 📅 𝗪𝗲𝗱 𝟮𝟱 𝗙𝗲𝗯 | 𝟭𝟬𝗮𝗺–𝟭𝗽𝗺
Contact: nicki@baytrust.org.uk

Crocus - the first sign of Spring.
Evolved to withstand February's unpredictable weather - even snow! ❄️
And a colourful reminder of things to come, in our landscapes and in our gardens.

📍 Visit us at St. Margaret’s Bay, Kent
🌿 Explore the regenerative Pines Garden.
🌱 Volunteer. Learn. Be inspired.

Nothing says 'celebration' like an afternoon tea! 🍰🧁☕🌺🥂

Our afternoon teas are created with you in mind, with everything baked on site using fresh ingredients - including some grown in our own organically managed garden. 🌱

Find out more ☎️ 01304 853173
GF & vegan options+ dog friendly 🐶

🌿 𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬:
We’re expanding our creative education network and would love to meet practitioners who could respond to our distinctive site through their work. Join us on 25/2/26!
RSVP by 18th Feb
📞 Nicki Setterfield: 07703 521443
📧 nicki@baytrust.org.uk

In the new #gardenofcuriosities exhibition (curated by @danthompson33.bsky.social) at @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGarden there’s a little bit on necessary movement of populations from places destabilised by a changing climate. This article makes for timely reading alongside it IMHO.

One of the perks of having our own eco-venue in the Pines Garden is getting to host wonderful events and witness the incredible talent (and lovely people!) that live locally.
Take Eco Creatives - we've loved hosting their watercolour course over the past six weeks. 🌿🎨

These leeks and beetroot, grown in the Pines Garden, are now travelling a very short distance to the Pines Garden Cafe!

It doesn't get much fresher than this... 🥬

This week we’ve been sowing early crops in the greenhouse of our garden.
Kent’s milder winters mean you can often sow outdoors a week or two earlier than the UK average - but for us, the greenhouse is always a good place to start 🌱

Diversion notice - We are still open!🌿

For anyone planning to travel to the 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧, 𝐂𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 this week, please note that there is a diversion in place at the top of Bay Hill. We're still open and the temporary route isn't far (it also takes in some lovely views!)

Don't miss your last chance to enter The Pines Community Initiative this week! 🌱
If you want to make use of our beautiful eco events space for FREE this year, fill out the application form 👉 forms.gle/TEuSQHneELDD... or email nicki@baytrust.org.uk, and you may just see it happen 🌿

Here's the part you didn't see...
It's been a week since we opened our doors of the Pines Cafe & Visitor Centre to the public. 🌿 And we are still so grateful to the wonderful staff, whose dedication and commitment behind the scenes made it happen ❤️

We're happy to be back in Pines Garden Cafe doing what we love best - serving freshly prepared and home-cooked dishes to our delightful visitors!

And this week, it's all about pies... 🥧

Open Weds - Sun 10am - 4pm
Beach Rd, St Margarets Bay, Dover CT15 6DZ

What would 𝐲𝐨𝐮 do if you had our stunning eco-venue, the Pines Calyx, to use as you pleased for the day?
Enter the Pines Community Initiative for your chance to find out!
More info at baytrust.org.uk/pines-commun... or email nicki@baytrust.org.uk 🌱

Opening hours:
Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 3pm (Winter)
Wednesday - Sunday 10am -4pm (Summer)🌿

Opening today: Our first exhibition of 2026, 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 stretches across six acres. Start your exploration at Pines cafe and visitor centre and then follow our map to discover hidden stories and unexpected objects around the garden.

Over the year, with three exhibitions in the cafe and visitor centre, we’re finding new ways to connect the objects The Bay Trust owns, and exploring how they support our work as a charity working with the natural environment. 🌿

We are officially open!

As of today, our new cafe and visitor centre is the place to start your visit to the Pines Garden (and end it, too!). It connects the work of the Bay Trust, the story of the Pines Garden, and the heritage of St Margaret’s. 🌱

We're nearly there... 🌿
We've been hard at work getting ready for our grand re-opening this Saturday! A lot of exciting changes have taken place at Pines Garden over the past few weeks - we can't wait to share them with you.

Join us this weekend to see just what we've been up to. Open 10am - 3pm 🌱

Refurbishments in full swing at the Pines! It's all going well, but there's still a lot more to do.

We will be reopening on Saturday 17th January, and looking forward to welcoming visitors to our brand new shiny Pines cafe...🛠

As we sign off for the holidays, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey this year.

The Gardens and Tea Room will welcome visitors again on Weds the 14th Jan 2026, but until then, wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

If you're looking for a good Wintry walk this December, you could do a lot worse than this! 🐶 🌿💚 #StMargaretsBay - just a short walk from our HQ here at The Bay Trust.